BBC - History - Historic Figures: Vespasian (9 AD - 79 AD) Historic Figures z Bust of Vespasian © Vespasian was the ninth emperor of Rome and succeeded in restoring peace and stability after a period of civil war. He founded the Flavian dynasty of emperors. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian, was born in 9 AD in Reate (Rieti), north west of Rome. He had a successful military career, commanding the second legion in the invasion of Britain in 43 AD and conquering the south west of England. He later rose in the senate to become consul in 51 AD and governor of Africa a decade later. He became a trusted aide of the emperor Nero and was put in charge of the suppression of the Jewish Revolt (66 AD - 70 AD). By 68 AD, most of Judaea was recovered, although Jerusalem remained to be taken. During the rapid turnover of emperors following the death of Nero in 68 AD, Vespasian prepared his own bid for power.

The legions of Egypt, Judaea, Syria and then the Danube all declared for him, and he sent his commander Primus ahead to secure Italy on his behalf. A major, and bloody, victory was achieved at Cremona, and Primus took Rome in December 69 AD. The senate passed a law conferring the powers of emperor on Vespasian and he arrived in Rome in the late summer of 70 AD, having left his elder son Titus in charge in Judaea. Jerusalem was taken in August 70 AD and the Jewish temple was destroyed. Vespasian's major objectives during his reign were to restore Rome's finances after Nero's wasteful reign, to restore discipline in the army after the civil wars and to ensure the succession of his son Titus. He was successful in all three. The immunity from taxation that Nero had given to the Greeks was revoked, and the Colosseum was begun in Rome with spoils from the conquest of Jerusalem. Vespasian's relations with the senate were on the whole excellent and he set an example by living a relatively simple life. The Roman historian Tacitus observed that he was the first man to improve after becoming emperor.

Vespasian died in 79 AD. BBC - History - Historic Figures: Titus (39 AD - 81 AD) Historic Figures z Portrait bust of Titus © Titus was the 10th emperor of Rome. His short reign was notable for the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and the opening of the Colosseum in 80 AD. Titus Flavius Vespasianus was born in Rome on 30 December 39 AD, the elder son of the future Emperor Vespasian. He was brought up in the court of Emperor Claudius as a companion to the emperor's son, Britannicus. Titus enjoyed a successful military career and in 67 AD went with his father to suppress the Jewish Revolt. In 69 AD, Vespasian returned to Rome to assert his claim for the imperial throne, leaving Titus to continue the campaign. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was sacked, the Jewish temple was destroyed and much of the population killed or dispersed. When Titus returned to Rome, Vespasian groomed him for the succession, sharing his powers with him to an unprecedented degree.

Titus succeeded his father in 79 AD, and continued his policies. He enjoyed excellent relations with the Senate and was popular with the people for the lavish games he put on. The Colosseum was opened in 80 AD. He responded generously with disaster relief after the eruption of Vesuvius, which occurred two months into his reign, and after a serious fire and a plague at Rome in 80 AD. Titus died on 13 September 81 AD, probably from natural causes, although Domitian, who succeeded him, was suspected of having poisoned him. The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Emperors. Vespasian | PBS Bust of Vespasian Vespasian (9 ï¿½ 79 AD / ruled 69 ï¿½ 79 AD) worked hard to restore law, order and self-respect to Rome after the civil war. He established the new, Flavian dynasty. Born to a Roman knight and tax-collector, Vespasian was a man of relatively humble origins and played on these roots to great political advantage. Distinguished service Vespasianï¿½s early career was spent mainly in military service.

After distinguishing himself during the invasion of England in 43 AD, he was given his first military command. Further success led to more honors and, in 51 AD, he became consul in Britain. In 63 AD, Vespasian was appointed proconsul in Africa. Here, he controlled the budget so tightly that, on one occasion, the locals pelted him with turnips. Out of Africa Four years later, in 67 AD, Nero appointed Vespasian to put down the Jewish rebellion in Judaea . His success here, where others had failed, meant that, by 68 AD, Vespasian was one of Romeï¿½s most successful generals. His humble origins had led Nero to believe that he was no threat. While Nero was alive, this was true. Death changes everything But then Nero died. After the murder of Galba , civil war was inevitable. Whatï¿½s more, Vespasian had as good a claim to the throne as his two main rivals, Otho and Vitellius. In July 69 AD, Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by his troops, as well as legions in Egypt and Syria. He marched on Rome.

Once in Italy, they found themselves facing Vitelliusï¿½ army: for the first time in 100 years, their enemy was Roman. Battleground Rome By morning, Vespasianï¿½s army had won the battle. They ransacked a nearby town and marched on, reaching Rome in December. The city became a battleground, with its citizens caught in the crossfire. Around 50,000 people were killed before the battle was over. Vespasian had won and, with no one left to fight, he was proclaimed emperor by the Senate. Might equals right Vespasian was honest about the source of his power ï¿½ military strength. Using his new position to grant himself more powers, Vespasian immediately began talking up his humble origins and publishing the divine omens he claimed had predicted his spectacular rise. Finally, he wasted no time establishing his dynasty, insisting that his two sons ï¿½ Titus and Domitian ï¿½ would succeed him. Next on the agenda was the need to restore war-torn Rome to something approaching its former glory.

One of the first jobs was to raise money: Neroï¿½s extravagance and the civil war had almost ruined Rome. Rebuilding Rome By raising taxes and reclaiming public land, Vespasian was able to fill the cityï¿½s vaults with cold, hard, cash. He used some of this money on a massive building program, which included temples, a theater and early work on what would become the Colosseum. He then turned his attention to the army. In a wholesale reorganization, he restored discipline, removed officers loyal to Vitellius and ended the war in Judaea. In Britain, he conquered Wales and northern England. An average Joe All the time, Vespasian was changing the traditional image of the emperor. He approached his work with an earthy humor and common sense unusual in someone of his rank. More importantly, he provided the first real stability since Claudius , 20 years earlier. Although he had gained his position through violence and was still a military dictator, he legitimized himself and his dynasty by offering Rome a stable, peaceful future. Becoming a god By 79 AD, Vespasian was dying, but his sense of humor remained intact.

"Oh dear!" he joked, mocking the Roman tendency to turn dead emperors into gods, "I think I'm becoming a god." Vespasian had brought Rome through bitter civil war and left the empire stronger than ever. But by declaring, "My sons will succeed me, or no one willï¿½, Vespasian had ignored history and his own experience. Like his predecessors, he insisted on tying Rome to the lottery of hereditary rule. Where to next: Enemies and rebels: Josephus & Judaea Roman Emperors - DIR Vespasian Vespasian Introduction Titus Flavius Vespasianus (b. A.D. 9, d. A.D. 79, emperor A.D. 69-79) restored peace and stability to an empire in disarray following the death of Nero in A.D. 68. In the process he established the Flavian dynasty as the legitimate successor to the Imperial throne. Although we lack many details about the events and chronology of his reign, Vespasian provided practical leadership and a return to stable government - accomplishments which, when combined with his other achievements, make his emperorship particularly notable within the history of the Principate.

Early Life and Career Vespasian was born at Falacrina near Sabine Reate on 17 November, A.D. 9, the son of T. Flavius Sabinus, a successful tax collector and banker, and Vespasia Polla. Both parents were of equestrian status. Few details of his first fifteen years survive, yet it appears that his father and mother were often away from home on business for long periods. As a result, Vespasian's early education became the responsibility of his paternal grandmother, Tertulla. [[1]] In about A.D. 25 Vespasian assumed the toga virilis and later accepted the wearing of the latus clavus, and with it the senatorial path that his older brother, T. Flavius Sabinus, had already chosen. [[2]] Although many of the particulars are lacking, the posts typically occupied by one intent upon a senatorial career soon followed: a military tribunate in Thrace, perhaps for three or four years; a quaestorship in Crete-Cyrene; and the offices of aedile and praetor, successively, under the emperor Gaius .

[[3]] It was during this period that Vespasian married Flavia Domitilla. Daughter of a treasury clerk and former mistress of an African knight, Flavia lacked the social standing and family connections that the politically ambitious usually sought through marriage. In any case, the couple produced three children, a daughter, also named Flavia Domitilla, and two sons, the future emperors Titus and Domitian . Flavia did not live to witness her husband's emperorship and after her death Vespasian returned to his former mistress Caenis, who had been secretary to Antonia (daughter of Marc Antony and mother of Claudius ). Caenis apparently exerted considerable influence over Vespasian, prompting Suetonius to assert that she remained his wife in all but name, even after he became emperor. [[4]] Following the assassination of Gaius on 24 January, A.D. 41, Vespasian advanced rapidly, thanks in large part to the new princeps Claudius , whose favor the Flavians had wisely secured with that of Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, and of Claudius ' freedmen, especially Narcissus.

[[5]] The emperor soon dispatched Vespasian to Argentoratum (Strasbourg) as legatus legionis II Augustae, apparently to prepare the legion for the invasion of Britain. Vespasian first appeared at the battle of Medway in A.D. 43, and soon thereafter led his legion across the south of England, where he engaged the enemy thirty times in battle, subdued two tribes, and conquered the Isle of Wight. According to Suetonius, these operations were conducted partly under Claudius and partly under Vespasian's commander, Aulus Plautius. Vespasian's contributions, however, did not go unnoticed; he received the ornamenta triumphalia and two priesthoods from Claudius for his exploits in Britain. [[6]] By the end of A.D. 51 Vespasian had reached the consulship, the pinnacle of a political career at Rome. For reasons that remain obscure he withdrew from political life at this point, only to return when chosen proconsul of Africa about A.D. 63-64. His subsequent administration of the province was marked by severity and parsimony, earning him a reputation for being scrupulous but unpopular.

[[7]] Upon completion of his term, Vespasian returned to Rome where, as a senior senator, he became a man of influence in the emperor Nero's court. [[8]] Important enough to be included on Nero's tour of Greece in A.D. 66-67, Vespasian soon found himself in the vicinity of increasing political turbulence in the East. The situation would prove pivotal in advancing his career. Judaea and the Accession to Power In response to rioting in Caesarea and Jerusalem that had led to the slaughter in the latter city of Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers, Nero granted to Vespasian in A.D. 66 a special command in the East with the objective of settling the revolt in Judaea. By spring A.D. 67, with 60,000 legionaries, auxiliaries, and allies under his control, Vespasian set out to subdue Galilee and then to cut off Jerusalem. Success was quick and decisive. By October all of Galilee had been pacified and plans for the strategic encirclement of Jerusalem were soon formed.

[[9]] Meanwhile, at the other end of the empire, the revolts of Gaius Iulius Vindex, governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, and Servius Sulpicius Galba , governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, had brought Nero's reign to the brink of collapse. The emperor committed suicide in June, A.D. 68, thereby ensuring chaos for the next eighteen months, as first Galba and then Marcus Salvius Otho and Aulus Vitellius acceded to power. Each lacked broad-based military and senatorial support; each would be violently deposed in turn. [[10]] Still occupied with plans against Jerusalem, Vespasian swore allegiance to each emperor. Shortly after Vitellius assumed power in spring, A.D. 69, however, Vespasian met on the border of Judaea and Syria with Gaius Licinius Mucianus, governor of Syria, and after a series of private and public consultations, the two decided to revolt.

[[11]] On July 1, at the urging of Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt, the legions of Alexandria declared for Vespasian, as did the legions of Judaea two days later. By August all of Syria and the Danube legions had done likewise. Vespasian next dispatched Mucianus to Italy with 20,000 troops, while he set out from Syria to Alexandria in order to control grain shipments for the purpose of starving Italy into submission. [[12]] The siege of Jerusalem he placed in the hands of his son Titus . Meanwhile, the Danubian legions, unwilling to wait for Mucianus' arrival, began their march against Vitellius ' forces. The latter army, suffering from a lack of discipline and training, and unaccustomed to the heat of Rome, was defeated at Cremona in late October. [[13]] By mid-December the Flavian forces had reached Carsulae, 95 kilometers north of Rome on the Flaminian Road, where the Vitellians, with no further hope of reinforcements, soon surrendered.

At Rome, unable to persuade his followers to accept terms for his abdication, Vitellius was in peril. On the morning of December 20 the Flavian army entered Rome. By that afternoon, the emperor was dead. [[14]] Tacitus records that by December 22, A.D. 69, Vespasian had been given all the honors and privileges usually granted to emperors. Even so, the issue remains unclear, owing largely to a surviving fragment of an enabling law, the lex de imperio Vespasiani, which conferred powers, privileges, and exemptions, most with Julio-Claudian precedents, on the new emperor. Whether the fragment represents a typical granting of imperial powers that has uniquely survived in Vespasian's case, or is an attempt to limit or expand such powers, remains difficult to know. In any case, the lex sanctioned all that Vespasian had done up to its passing and gave him authority to act as he saw fit on behalf of the Roman people. [[15]] What does seem clear is that Vespasian felt the need to legitimize his new reign with vigor.

He zealously publicized the number of divine omens that predicted his accession and at every opportunity he accumulated multiple consulships and imperial salutations. He also actively promoted the principle of dynastic succession, insisting that the emperorship would fall to his son. The initiative was fulfilled when Titus succeeded his father in A.D. 79. [[16]] Emperorship Upon his arrival in Rome in late summer, A.D. 70, Vespasian faced the daunting task of restoring a city and a government ravaged by the recent civil wars. Although many particulars are missing, a portrait nevertheles emerges of a ruler conscientiously committed to the methodical renewal of both city and empire. Concerning Rome itself, the emperor encouraged rebuilding on vacated lots, restored the Capitol (burned in A.D. 69), and also began work on several new buildings: a temple to the deified Claudius on the Caelian Hill, a project designed to identify Vespasian as a legitimate heir to the Julio-Claudians, while distancing himself from Nero ; a temple of Peace near the Forum; and the magnificent Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre), located on the site of the lake of Nero 's Golden House.

[[17]] Claiming that he needed forty thousand million sesterces for these projects and for others aimed at putting the state on more secure footing, Vespasian is said to have revoked various imperial immunities, manipulated the supply of certain commodities to inflate their price, and increased provincial taxation. [[18]] The measures are consistent with his characterization in the sources as both obdurate and avaricious. There were occasional political problems as well: Helvidius Priscus, an advocate of senatorial independence and a critic of the Flavian regime from the start, was exiled after A.D. 75 and later executed; Marcellus Eprius and A. Alienus Caecina were condemned by Titus for conspiracy, the former committing suicide, the latter executed in A.D. 79. As Suetonius claims, however, in financial matters Vespasian always put revenues to the best possible advantage, regardless of their source. Tacitus, too, offers a generally favorable assessment, citing Vespasian as the first man to improve after becoming emperor.

[[19]] Thus do we find the princeps offering subventions to senators not possessing the property qualifications of their rank, restoring many cities throughout the empire, and granting state salaries for the first time to teachers of Latin and Greek rhetoric. To enhance Roman economic and social life even further, he encouraged theatrical productions by building a new stage for the Theatre of Marcellus, and he also put on lavish state dinners to assist the food trades. [[20]] In other matters the emperor displayed similar concern. He restored the depleted ranks of the senatorial and equestrian orders with eligible Italian and provincial candidates and reduced the backlog of pending court cases at Rome. Vespasian also re-established discipline in the army, while punishing or dismissing large numbers of Vitellius ' men. [[21]] Beyond Rome, the emperor increased the number of legions in the East and continued the process of imperial expansion by the annexation of northern England, the pacification of Wales, and by advances into Scotland and southwest Germany between the Rhine and the Danube. Vespasian also conferred rights on communities abroad, especially in Spain, where the granting of Latin rights to all native communities contributed to the rapid Romanization of that province during the Imperial period.

[[22]] Death and Assessment In contrast to his immediate imperial predecessors, Vespasian died peacefully - at Aquae Cutiliae near his birthplace in Sabine country on 23 June, A.D. 79, after contracting a brief illness. The occasion is said to have inspired his deathbed quip: "Oh my, I must be turning into a god!" [[23]] In fact, public deification did follow his death, as did his internment in the Mausoleum of Augustus alongside the Julio-Claudians. A man of strict military discipline and simple tastes, Vespasian proved to be a conscientious and generally tolerant administrator. More importantly, following the upheavals of A.D. 68-69, his reign was welcome for its general tranquility and restoration of peace. In Vespasian Rome found a leader who made no great breaks with tradition, yet his ability ro rebuild the empire and especially his willingness to expand the composition of the governing class helped to establish a positive working model for the "good emperors" of the second century.

Bibliography Since the scholarship on Vespasian is more comprehensive than can be treated here, the works listed below are main accounts or bear directly upon issues discussed in the entry above. A comprehensive modern anglophone study of this emperor is yet to be produced. Atti congresso internazionale di studi Flaviani, 2 vols. Rieti, 1983. Atti congresso internazionale di studi Vespasianei, 2 vols. Rieti, 1981. Bosworth, A.B. "Vespasian and the Provinces: Some Problems of the Early 70s A.D." Athenaeum 51 (1973): 49-78. Brunt, P. A. "Lex de imperio Vespasiani." JRS (67) 1977: 95-116. D'Espèrey, S. Franchet. "Vespasien, Titus et la littérature." ANRW II.32.5: 3048-3086. Dudley, D. and Webster, G.

The Roman Conquest of Britain. London, 1965. Gonzalez, J. "The Lex Irnitana: A New Copy of the Flavian Municipal Law." JRS 76 (1986): 147-243. Grant, M. The Roman Emperors: A Biographical Guide to the Rulers of Rome, 31 B.C. - A.D. 476. New York, 1985. Homo, L. Vespasien, l'Empereur du bons sens (69-79 ap. J.-C.). Paris, 1949. Levi, M.A. "I Flavi." ANRW II.2: 177-207. McCrum, M. and Woodhead, A. G. Select Documents of the Principates of the Flavian Emperors Including the Year of the Revolution. Cambridge, 1966. Nicols, John. Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae. Wiesbaden, 1978. Scarre, C. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors.

The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London, 1995. Suddington, D. B. The Development of the Roman Auxiliary Forces from Caesar to Vespasian, 49 B.C. - A.D. 79. Harare: U. of Zimbabwe, 1982. Syme, R. Tacitus. Oxford, 1958. Wardel, David. "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol." Historia 45 (1996): 208-222. Wellesley, K. The Long Year: A.D. 69. Bristol, 1989, 2nd ed. Notes [[1]] Suet. Vesp. 2.1. Suetonius remains the major source but see also Tac. Hist. 2-5; Cass. Dio 65; Joseph. BJ 3-4. [[2]] Suetonius (Vesp.

2.1) claims that Vespasian did not accept the latus clavus, the broad striped toga worn by one aspiring to a senatorial career, immediately. The delay, however, was perhaps no more than three years. See J. Nicols, Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae (Wiesbaden, 1978), 2. [[3]] Military tribunate and quaestorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3; aedileship: ibid., 5.3, in which Gaius, furious that Vespasian had not kept the streets clean, as was his duty, ordered some soldiers to load him with filth;,they complied by stuffing his toga with as much as it could hold. See also Dio 59.12.2-3; praetorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3, in which Vespasian is depicted as one of Gaius' leading adulators, an account consistent with Tacitus' portrayal (Hist 1.50.4; 2.5.1) of his early career.

For a more complete discussion of these posts and attendant problems of dating, see Nicols, Vespasian, 2-7. [[4]] Marriage and Caenis: Suet. Vesp. 3; Cass. Dio 65.14. [[5]] Nicols, Vespasian, 12-39. [[6]] Suet. Vesp. 4.1 For additional details on Vespasian's exploits in Britain, see D. Dudley and G. Webster, The Roman Conquest of Britain (London, 1965), 55 ff., 98. [[7]] Concerning Vespasian's years between his consulship and proconsulship, see Suet. Vesp. 4.2 and Nicols, Vespasian, 9. On his unpopularity in Africa, see Suet. Vesp. 4.3, an account of a riot at Hadrumentum, where he was once pelted with turnips. In recording that Africa supported Vitellius in A.D. 69, Tacitus too suggests popular dissatisfaction with Vespasian's proconsulship. See Hist.

2.97.2. [[8]] This despite the fact that the sources record two rebukes of Vespasian, one for extorting money from a young man seeking career advancement (Suet. Vesp. 4.3), the other for either leaving the room or dozing off during one of the emperor's recitals (Suet. Vesp. 4.4 and 14, which places the transgression in Greece; Tac. (Ann. 16.5.3), who makes Rome and the Quinquennial Games of A.D. 65 the setting; A. Braithwaite, C. Suetoni Tranquilli Divus Vespasianus, Oxford, 1927, 30, who argues for both Greece and Rome). [[9]] Subjugation of Galilee: Joseph. BJ 3.65-4.106; siege of Jerusalem: ibid., 4.366-376, 414. [[10]] Revolt of Vindex: Suet. Nero 40; Tac. Ann. 14.4; revolt of Galba: Suet.

Galba 10; Plut. Galba, 4-5; suicide of Nero: Suet. Nero 49; Cass. Dio 63.29.2. For the most complete account of the period between Nero's death and the accession of Vespasian, see K. Wellesley, The Long Year: A.D. 69, 2nd. ed. (Bristol, 1989). [[11]] Tac. Hist. 2.76. [[12]] Troops in support of Vespasian: Suet. Vit. 15; Mucianus and his forces: Tac. Hist. 2.83; Vespasian and grain shipments: Joseph. BJ 4.605 ff.; see also Tac. Hist. 3.48, on Vespasian's possible plan to shut off grain shipments to Italy from Carthage as well. [[13]] On Vitellius' army and its lack of discipline, see Tac. Hist.

2.93-94; illness of army: ibid., 2.99.1; Cremona: ibid., 3.32-33. [[14]] On Vitellius' last days, see Tac. Hist. 3.68-81. On the complicated issue of Vitellius' death date, see L. Holzapfel, "Römische Kaiserdaten," Klio 13 (1913): 301. [[15]] Honors, etc. Tac. Hist 4.3. For more on the lex de imperio Vespasiani, see P. A. Brunt, "Lex de imperio Vespasiani," JRS (67) 1977: 95-116. [[16]] Omens: Suet. Vesp. 5; consulships and honors: ibid., 8; succession of sons: ibid., 25. [[17]] On Vespasian's restoration of Rome, see Suet. Vesp. 9; Cass. Dio 65.10; D.

Wardel, "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol," Historia 45 (1996): 208-222. [[18]] Suet. Vesp. 16. Titus | Roman emperor | Britannica.com Roman emperor Alternative Titles: Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Titus Vespasianus Augustus, Titus Vespasianus Augustus Titus Titus, in full Titus Vespasianus Augustus, original name Titus Flavius Vespasianus (born Dec. 30, 39 ce—died Sept. 13, 81 ce), Roman emperor (79–81), and the conqueror of Jerusalem in 70. Marble bust of Titus. © kmiragaya/Fotolia After service in Britain and Germany, Titus commanded a legion under his father, Vespasian , in Judaea (67). Following the emperor Nero’s death in June 68, Titus was energetic in promoting his father’s candidacy for the imperial crown.

Licinius Mucianus, legate of Syria, whom he reconciled with Vespasian, considered that one of Vespasian’s greatest assets was to have so promising a son and heir. Immediately on being proclaimed emperor in 69, Vespasian gave Titus charge of the Jewish war, and a large-scale campaign in 70 culminated in the capture and destruction of Jerusalem in September. (The Arch of Titus [81], still standing at the entrance to the Roman Forum , commemorated his victory.) “Romans Taking Spoils of Jerusalem,” detail of marble relief from the Arch of Titus, … Erich Lessing/Art Resource, New York The victorious troops in Palestine urged Titus to take them with him to Italy; it was suspected that they acted on his prompting and that he was considering some sort of challenge to his father. But eventually he returned alone in summer 71, triumphed jointly with Vespasian, and was made commander of the Praetorian Guard . He also received tribunician power and was his father’s colleague in the censorship of 73 and in several consulships.

Although Vespasian had in various ways avoided making Titus his own equal, the son became the military arm of the new principate and is described by Suetonius as particeps atque etiam tutor imperii (“sharer and even protector of the empire”). As such he incurred unpopularity, worsened by his relations with Berenice (sister of the Syrian Herod Agrippa II), who lived with him for a time in the palace and hoped to become his wife. But the Romans had memories of Cleopatra, and marriage to an Eastern queen was repugnant to public opinion. Twice he reluctantly had to dismiss her, the second time just after Vespasian’s death. In 79 Titus suppressed a conspiracy , doubtless concerned with the succession, but, when Vespasian died on June 23, he succeeded promptly and peacefully. His relations with his brother Domitian were bad, but in other ways his short rule was unexpectedly popular in Rome .

He was outstandingly good-looking, cultivated , and affable; Suetonius called him “the darling of the human race.” His success was won largely by lavish expenditure, some of it purely personal largesse but some public bounty, like the assistance to Campania after Vesuvius erupted in 79 and the rebuilding of Rome after the fire in 80. He completed construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum , and opened it with ceremonies lasting more than 100 days. His sudden death at age 41 was supposedly hastened by Domitian, who became his successor as emperor. Britannica Stories Titus - Ancient History Encyclopedia Titus by Donald L. Wasson published on 04 June 2013 On June 24, 79 CE Titus Flavius Vespasianus succeeded his father Vespasian as emperor of the Roman Empire .

Prior to his ascension to the throne, he was considered by many as “…unpopular and venomously loathed,” yet after becoming emperor, “he became an object of universal love and adoration.” Historians consider the abrupt change in the personality of the new emperor to be a true mystery. Titus was born “in a small, dingy, slum bedroom close to the Seven-storey Tenement” in Rome on December 30, 39 CE during the reign of Emperor Caligula (37 – 41 CE). Historian Suetonius in his The Twelve Caesars described the adult Titus as being graceful and dignified as well as muscular and handsome. He added “…the beauty and talents that had distinguished him as a child grew even more remarkable.” His family did not achieve any major prominence in politics until the reign of Emperor Claudius (41 – 54 CE) when Vespasian served prominently in the invasion of Britain . This turn of events allowed Titus to receive the benefits of a court education. He learned to write poetry in both Greek and Latin, compose Greek tragedies, and play the harp.

He also benefited from a close friendship with Claudius’ son Britannicus and was present at the young heir’s death by poisoning - a death arranged by Claudius’ scheming wife Agrippina. In fact, Titus drank from the same cup as Britannicus, becoming sick himself. Suetonius wrote, “Titus, who was reclining at the same table, is said to have emptied the glass in sympathy and to have been dangerously ill for some time.” Titus would later build several statues in memory of his childhood friend. Remove Ads Advertisement After completing his education, young Titus served as a military tribune in both Britain and Germany from 61 to 63 CE. He developed a natural aptitude “for the art of war and peace, handled arms and rode a horse as well as any man living.” He left the military temporarily, serving as a barrister in the law courts “only because he enjoyed pleading cases, not because he meant to make a career of it.” At this time he married his first wife (the daughter of a former commander of the Guard), Arrecina Tertulla, who died shortly afterwards.

His next marriage to Marcia Furnilla, a marriage that produced a daughter, ended in divorce (for political reasons) when her family opposed Nero after the Piso Conspiracy of 65 CE. Although he would take a mistress, Queen Berenice of the Judean royal family, he would never again marry. When the Roman populace failed to greet the queen warmly, Vespasian sent her home. Titus’ return to the military brought his appointment as a commander of the Fifteenth Legion, serving under his father in the Jewish War (66-73 CE). Upon the death of Emperor Galba (69 CE), he worked to get his father in power. When Vespasian became emperor on July 1, 69 CE, after the death of Emperor Vitellius , Titus took control of the Roman forces in Judea.

Cassius Dio wrote in his Roman History, “Titus, who had been assigned to the war against the Jews, undertook to win them by certain representations and promises, but, as they would not yield, he now proceeded to wage war upon them.” While he may have been extremely popular with the army, the Jewish people, particularly those in Jerusalem , did not feel much love for the new Roman commander. Under his leadership, the military murdered entire communities. It ordered the capture of the holy city of Jerusalem which was besieged for two years, leaving the inhabitants on the brink of starvation. Thousands of attempted escapees were crucified, and their bodies were left in full view of those remaining behind the walls. In September of 70 CE, Titus’ troops finally entered Jerusalem, slaughtering its citizens and setting numerous fires. After the city was seized, all of the city’s walls - with the exception of one wall - were destroyed. This served as a reminder to all that no wall could defend against the Roman army . The one section of remaining wall became the holiest location in all of Judea - the Wailing Wall.

Remove Ads Advertisement In June 71 CE Titus returned to Rome and was immediately recognized as the heir apparent to his father. As his father’s assistant, he dictated letters, drafted edicts, and even delivered speeches to the Senate. On numerous occasions he served as consul and was named a praetorian commander by his father because after Galba’s death at the hands of the Guard, Vespasian recognized the need to appoint someone to the position he could trust. Titus used the position to remove any person who opposed his father, even forging documents and letters (he was known to be able to copy anyone’s handwriting). He even called one man, Aulus Caecina, to dinner only to have him stabbed while he was on his way as it was a deemed a matter of “political necessity.” Many in Rome viewed him as being both callous and cruel.

“Actions of this sort … made Titus so deeply disliked at the time that perhaps no more unwelcome claimant to the supreme power had ever won it.” Suetonius added, “It was even prophesied quite openly that he would prove to be a second Nero.” On June 24, 79 CE Titus succeeded his father as emperor, and surprised almost everyone and his integrity would become legendary. On June 24, 79 CE Titus succeeded his father as emperor, and surprised almost everyone and his integrity would become legendary. Cassius Dio attempted to explain his sudden change in character: “This may have been because he had really undergone a change, indeed, for men to wield power as assistants to another is a very different thing from exercising independent authority themselves.” Unlike many of his predecessors who relied on information from informers to suppress conspiracies and plots, Titus disliked them, having them whipped, clubbed and even sold into slavery. His brother Domitian , however, would renew the practice.

Although his reign was short, he was considered “naturally kindhearted” and although frugal, he was able to finish several community projects, for example, completing the Flavian Amphitheatre begun by his father and building new imperial baths. Unfortunately, tragedy struck his reign threefold shortly after ascending into power. First of all, Mt. Vesuvius of Campania erupted and wiped out the neighboring cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in August of 79 CE. Immediately, Titus toured the devastated areas, seeing to it that relief was provided. However, while he was away viewing the devastation at Pompeii, a fire broke out in Rome that lasted three days and three nights, destroying an area from the Capitol to the Pantheon . He later said of the fire, “This has ruined me.” Concerning the fire, Cassius Dio denied any possible human cause, saying it was of “divine origin.” Although much of the rebuilding occurred under Domitian, Titus saw to the construction of a new Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. He even stripped his own home of decorations and distributed them among the damaged temples and public buildings. The last catastrophe to strike his reign was a severe plague.

Suetonius wrote, “Titus attempted to control the plague by every imaginable means, human as well as divine - resorting to all sorts of sacrifices and medical remedies.” Vespasian – History Wars Weapons About Vespasian Vespasian, or Titus Flavius Vespasianus, (9AD – 79AD) was a Roman Emperor who reigned for ten years, between 69 AD and 79 AD. He put an end to the anarchic period known as the Year of the Four Emperors when he defeated the Army of Vitellius in northern Italy in December 69, entering Rome as the new emperor. Vespasian started the Flavian dynasty, which was on the throne of Rome from 69 AD until 96 AD. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his sons Titus (79–81).

Vespasian was born in 9 AD, in Falacrina, in the Sabine country near Reate, to Titus Flavius Sabinus, who was an equestrian, and to Vespasia Polla, the sister of a Senator.Vespasian was a successful military commander, who took part in the Roman invasion of Britain in 43, and subjugated the province of Judea during the Great Jewish Revolt of 66. But his military campaign in Judea was interrupted when a civil war broke out after the death of Nero. When Vitellius took the throne of Rome after he had defeated Otho´s army, the legions in Judea and in Egypt did not acknowledge him emperor, and proclaimed their commander Vespasian Emperor of Rome instead. Leaving his son Titus in charge of the war against the Jews, Vespesian left for Rome and obtained a great victory over Vitellius’s army in northern Italy. Titus Flavius Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by the Roman Senate on December 20, 69 AD.

Vespasian was a straightforward, down-to-earth, and prudent emperor, improving the finance management of the Empire and embarking upon a series of public construction projects such as the Colosseum. He also supervised the final stage of war in Judea. He was succeeded by his son Titus in 79 AD.

Question: Who, in 79AD, succeeded Vespasian as Emperor of Rome?
Answer: Titus